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Business Model

Starting with the one page business model canvas we can start with our ideas for getting the space open and keeping it open.

business_model_canvas_poster.pdf

An example Business Plan is here.

The Business Model Canvas covers:

Customer Segments
- Families That Can Pay For Membership/Classes
- Families That Cannot Afford Membership/Classes
- Homeschoolers
- Individual Hobbyist Makers
- Manufacturer Incubator
- Freelancers
Customer Relationships
- Physical interactions
  - Public Workshops
  - Supervised Free work time
  - Private Events
- Virtual Interactions
  - Videos
  - Workshops
Distribution Channels
- Physical Location
- Virtual Workshops on the web
- Pop-up workshops, a mobile unit that can be brought to different communities
Value Proposition (nice to translate this into a formal mission statement)
- To create a safe environment for families, teens, and adults to explore the creation process and making
- To give access to complex and cutting edge tools that would be too expensive to own on an individual basis
- To create a multigenerational community that shares knowledge and learning
- To give kids the feeling of being capable - to take initiative, make mistakes/fail, keep trying, and succeed
Key Activities
- High-Danger Making (Anything where someone under 13 would need close supervision)
  - Soldering
  - Woodworking
  - Welding
  - Cooking
  - 3-D Printing
  - Electronics
  - Arduino
  - Motors
  - Laser Cutting
  - Biological Hacking
  - Cooking
- Low-Danger Making (Requires less supervision)
  - Programming
  - Web Design
  - App Development
  - Robotics
  - Wearable Electronics
  - Filmmaking
  - Pottery
  - Knitting/Crocheting
  - Sewing
  - Weaving
  - Entrepreneurship
  - Puzzlemaking
  - Sculpting
  - Gardening
  - Painting
  - Research
  - Screenprinting
Key Partnerships
- SpaceFed for 501(c)(3) Status
- CrashspaceLA and other hackerspaces
- California Science Center
- Schools
- Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy & Girl Scouts
- Afterschool programs
- Universities
- National Makerspace movement
- Community Leaders (in chosen neighborhood)
- Educational researchers
Cost Structure
- Rent & Utilities
- Insurance
- Legal
- Instructors
- Administration
- Equipment
- Expendables
- Marketing
- Dedicated Staff
Key Resources
- Machine Tools & Equipment
- Safe, clean environment
- Good Location
- Great Website
- Well executed volunteer/evangelism process (getting people involved and engaged so we aren't relying on the same small group to do everything)
- Board of Directors
Revenue Streams
- Memberships
- (These Niche Memberships at Machine Project are hilarious: http://machineproject.com/ye-olden-join-page/niche-memberships)
  - Family Level
  - Teens
  - Adults
  - Corporate
- Classes & Workshops & Talks
  - Just for Kids
  - For Families
  - For Parents
  - For Adults
  - For Educators
- Events
  - Birthday Parties
- Crowdfunding (e.g. Kickstarter to buy equipment)
  - Return on Change
  - http://crowdfundingguides.com
    http://mashable.com/2012/04/23/tips-crowdfunding-investor-portal/
    http://crowdfundingguides.com/
    http://agency20.com/crowdfunding-kickstarter-strategy-advice-empoweryourcrowd-by-co23464-a2pt0/
- Subscription Donations (e.g. people support with $15/month i.e. Radio Stations)
- Kind Hearted Donations
- Sponsorships
- Grants
  - Cognizant
  - California Community Foundation
- Co-Working
- Babysitting/Childcare for Very Young Makers (not sure if this should be revenue or just break-even on cost)
- Online Advertising on Webshow
- This will be very low unless we personally can sell an integration, i.e., brought to you by message. For it to break even at all ($2000/month) we would need 50-100k views per episode with multiple episodes each month.
- Other 'Businesses' in the Space
  - Gallery
  - Selling our creations/projects
  - Selling/renting maker equipment, diy kits to take home, etc
  - Cafe (Food & Drink)

Competition
Los Angeles host a few membership-based makerspaces, such as CRASH Space and Drop Labs, as well as extracurricular science and arts centers such as USC’s MESA Mission Science Center and the reDiscover Center. While these makerspaces have given a home to the maker movement in our city they are geared towards adult professionals. With extracurricular centers the focus is on students, but without a community built around projects and classes found at established makerspaces nor with active connections for K-12 students to work with outside professional and research projects. Having a makerspace for the community as a whole, independent of participants’ ages, will help to bridge the gap between the existing makerspace community and families who want a place tinker, as well as to facilitate the research community’s outreach efforts via citizen science projects.

Resources

makerspaceplaybook-201204.pdf

(must read, includes budget spreadsheets).
Hackerspace
Competitors

Funding

Crowdsourcing

Crowdfunding Bible
gofundme.com
kickstarter.com

Potential Sponsors

We should look at organizations that are funding other projects in LA.
Game Desk (new school in LA that will include video games in the curriculum)

Non-Profit

Research grants